JP2007118314A - Inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce cost by enabling replacement of an ink cartridge in a state letting dust or the like to be hardly adhered on a cap, without the use of a sensor detecting the opening/closing status of a cover, in an inkjet printer. <P>SOLUTION: When a portion covering the upper surface of the cover 20 pivoted by a housing 10 so as to cover an opening part 10a is turned so as to move upward, the portion covering the side surfaces of the cover 20 is displaced so as to enter into the inside of the housing 10. Accordingly, a pushing pad 5 is pushed by an engaging protrusion 20b to move toward substantially the center in the main operation direction, while the bottom surface of a groove part 5a slides with the engaging protrusion 20b, also moving the carriage 2 by the pushing pad 5. At this time, the protection of a recording head 3a by the cap 2a is released. The cover 20 is in the opening state and the carriage 2 moves in the main operation direction, allowing the ink cartridge 3 to be replaced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet printer that forms an image on recording paper by ejecting ink from a recording head of an ink cartridge mounted on a carriage that is reciprocated in the main scanning direction.

  Conventionally, an ink is ejected from a recording head of an ink cartridge while reciprocating a carriage carrying an ink cartridge in the main scanning direction, thereby forming an image on recording paper conveyed in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction. A serial printer type ink jet printer is used. As such an ink jet printer, there is one using an ink cartridge having an ink tank in which ink is sealed and a recording head for discharging ink. This recording head is composed of a plurality of fine hole nozzles, and ink clogging may occur if the recording head is left exposed to the outside air when ink is not ejected. As described above, when ink clogging occurs, or when dried ink or dust adheres to the recording head, the ink is not properly discharged, and an image cannot be properly formed on the recording paper. Therefore, in such an ink jet printer, when an image is not formed, the carriage is moved to the home position, which is the reference position in the main scanning direction, by a driving mechanism such as a motor, and the surface of the recording head is cleaned with a wiper. A capping operation is performed to protect the recording head by covering.

  In the ink jet printer as described above, when the ink in the ink cartridge becomes empty, it is necessary to replace the ink cartridge with a new one. The replacement of the ink cartridge is performed by opening a cover provided on the casing of the inkjet printer and exposing the carriage inside the casing to the outside. Here, if the ink cartridge is replaced while the carriage is at the home position, dust or the like tends to adhere to the cap when the ink cartridge is removed from the carriage. There is a possibility that dust or the like adhering to the cap will reattach to the recording head of the ink cartridge. Further, there is a possibility that the recording head of a new ink cartridge is attached to the carriage without being cleaned by a wiper while dust or the like is attached. Dust and the like adhering to the recording head of the ink cartridge cause a failure to properly form an image as described above. Therefore, in a conventional inkjet printer, a sensor that detects the open / closed state of the cover is used, and when the cover is opened, the drive mechanism is driven to automatically replace the ink cartridge while the carriage is moved from the home position. Therefore, dust or the like hardly adheres to the cap covered with the casing, and dust or the like attached to the recording head of the ink cartridge is cleaned by the wiper when the carriage returns to the home position. However, since such an ink jet printer uses a sensor for detecting the open / closed state of the cover, the manufacturing cost increases only by providing this sensor.

Patent Document 1 describes a printer that can simplify the opening / closing mechanism of the lid of the printer. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a print that can be quickly operated by rotating an internal lever in conjunction with an opening / closing cover when an ink cartridge is replaced or when a paper jam occurs. An apparatus is described. In Patent Document 3, when the ink cartridge needs to be replaced, only the ink cartridge to be replaced is exposed to the outside through the opening of the housing, and can be replaced, and dust and dust enter the main body. An ink jet printer that suppresses this is described. However, these patent documents do not disclose an effective solution to the problem of high manufacturing costs as described above.
JP 2004-58275 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-1045 JP-A-10-286976

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and it is possible to replace an ink cartridge in a state in which dust or the like is hardly attached to the cap without using a sensor for detecting the open / close state of the cover. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet printer that is capable of operating at low cost.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is an ink cartridge having an ink tank for storing ink, and a recording head for discharging the ink stored in the ink tank to form an image on recording paper, and a housing. A carriage that is arranged inside and in which the ink cartridge is removably mounted, a recording paper transport mechanism that transports the recording paper in the sub-scanning direction, and the carriage is reciprocated in the main scanning direction substantially perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction. A drive mechanism that is attached to an opening provided in the housing, and a cover that opens and closes the inside of the housing to the outside, and a main body of the carriage that is set near one end of the housing in the main scanning direction. Provided at a home position that is a reference position in the scanning direction and provided with a cap for protecting the recording head and in the vicinity of the home position, the ink cartridge A wiper for cleaning the recording head by sliding contact with the recording head, and when the image forming operation is not performed, the recording head of the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage is protected by the cap. An ink jet printer in which a carriage is positioned at the home position, and an ink cartridge mounted on the carriage can be replaced through the opening by opening the cover. The cross section in the direction is substantially L-shaped, and is pivotally supported by the housing at the bent portion so as to cover the upper surface and side surface of the housing near the home position, and the lower end of the portion covering the side surface The width of the tip is larger than the width of the middle so that it protrudes downward from the vicinity to the inside of the housing. The housing further includes a push pad provided in the casing so as to be movable in the main scanning direction closer to the side of the casing on the home position side than the carriage. The push pad has a shape in which the upper surface of the push pad is inclined upward toward the center of the casing in the main scanning direction, and the front end of the fitting protrusion can be slidably fitted in the main scanning direction on the upper surface. And a push pad in which an engaging portion engageable with the lower surface of the carriage is formed at the lower portion, and when the image forming operation is not performed, the cover is opened. In this state, the fitting protrusion is fitted in the groove portion of the push pad and slides in the main scanning direction, and the push pad is moved toward the central portion in the main scanning direction of the housing, thereby Of the recording head by the cap When the protection is released, the carriage moves toward the central portion in the main scanning direction, and the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage can be replaced through the opening of the housing that is opened, and the cover is opened. As the tip of the fitting protrusion slides in the main scanning direction while being fitted in the groove as it is rotated in the direction from the state to the closed state, the push pad becomes In a state where the carriage is engaged, the carriage is moved toward the side of the casing while pulling the carriage, and when the cover is closed, the carriage returns to the home position, and the recording head is moved to the cap. It will be in the state protected by.

  The invention according to claim 2 is disposed in the housing, an ink cartridge having an ink tank for storing ink, a recording head for discharging the ink stored in the ink tank to form an image on recording paper, A carriage on which the ink cartridge is removably mounted; a recording paper transport mechanism for transporting recording paper in the sub-scanning direction; and a drive mechanism for reciprocating the carriage in the main scanning direction substantially perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction; A cover that is attached to an opening provided in the housing, opens and closes the inside of the housing to the outside, and a position reference in the main scanning direction of the carriage set near one end of the housing in the main scanning direction A cap for protecting the recording head, provided near the home position, and in sliding contact with the recording head of the ink cartridge. And a wiper for cleaning the recording head, and when the image forming operation is not performed, the carriage is in the home position with the recording head of the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage protected by the cap. The ink cartridge mounted on the carriage can be exchanged through the opening by opening the cover, and the cover has a substantially cross section in the main scanning direction. It is L-shaped and is pivotally supported by the case at its bent portion so as to cover the upper surface and side surface of the case in the vicinity of the home position. A fitting projection formed so as to protrude, and the housing is more inside the housing than the carriage. A push pad that has a fitting portion that fits with the fitting projection, is provided close to the side surface of the housing on the position side, or integrally with the carriage or movable in the main scanning direction and provided separately from the carriage. In addition, when the image forming operation is not performed, both the extrusion pad and the carriage can be moved in the main scanning direction by opening and closing the cover.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the cover is opened, the fitting protrusion is fitted to the groove and slides in the main scanning direction, and the push pad moves, so that the carriage is moved to the central portion in the main scanning direction. The ink cartridge can be exchanged through the opening of the housing. At that time, since the cap is covered with a housing or the like, dust or the like is hardly attached to the cap. Further, after the ink cartridge is replaced, it is cleaned by the wiper when returning to the home position, so that dust and the like adhering to the recording head of the ink cartridge is removed. When the cover is closed, the push pad moves toward the side surface of the housing while pulling the carriage, and the carriage is returned to the home position. Therefore, when the cartridge is replaced, dust or the like adheres to the cap by moving the carriage from the home position without moving the carriage by driving the drive mechanism by using a sensor that detects the open / close state of the cover. This makes it possible to reduce the cost of the ink jet printer.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the carriage can be moved in the main scanning direction together with the extrusion pad having the fitting portion fitted to the fitting protrusion provided on the cover by opening and closing the cover. Therefore, even if the carriage is not moved by the drive mechanism using a sensor that detects the open / close state of the cover, the carriage is moved from the home position according to the cover open / close operation so that dust or the like is not easily attached to the cap. The cartridge can be exchanged in the state, and the cost of the ink jet printer can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an ink jet printer according to this embodiment. The inkjet printer 1 is orthogonal to the main scanning direction by reciprocating a carriage 2 on which an ink cartridge 3 having a recording head 3a for ejecting ink is mounted in the main scanning direction (indicated by an arrow A in the figure). An image is formed on the recording paper P conveyed in the sub-scanning direction (indicated by an arrow B in the figure). The inkjet printer 1 is connected to, for example, an external personal computer (not shown) and the like, and performs a printing operation for forming an image on the recording paper P based on data and commands transmitted from the personal computer or the like. Has the function to perform.

  The inkjet printer 1 has a paper feed tray 11 on which a recording paper P to be printed is loaded on the back surface of the housing 10, and the printed recording paper P is placed below the front surface of the housing 10. A paper discharge tray 12 for discharging is provided. The ink jet printer 1 is capable of forming an image on, for example, A4 size recording paper P. As shown in the drawing, the recording paper P is loaded in a state of being positioned on the paper feed tray 11 by two guide claws 11b provided on the paper feed tray 11 so as to be slidable in the main scanning direction.

  Inside the housing 10 of the inkjet printer 1, a carriage 2 and a cap 2a for protecting the recording head 3a, which will be described later, are provided in the vicinity of the home position, which is a reference position in the main scanning direction of the carriage 2. A wiper 2b, an ink cartridge 3 mounted on the carriage 2, a shaft 4 whose main scanning direction is arranged in the longitudinal direction on the back side of the carriage 2, a push pad 5, a recording paper transport mechanism 6, and a carriage 2 A driving mechanism 7 that reciprocates by applying a driving force to an encoder, an encoder scale 8 that is used to detect the position of the carriage 2 in the main scanning direction and is arranged along the main scanning direction in the housing 10, and an inkjet A control circuit 9 for controlling various operations of the printer 1 is provided. In the present embodiment, the cap 2 a and the wiper 2 b are disposed below the carriage 2 so as to face the lower surface of the ink cartridge 3. An opening 10a is provided on the upper surface and side surface of the housing 10 in the vicinity of the home position, and a cover 20 having a substantially L-shaped cross section in the main scanning direction is provided so as to close the opening 10a. Yes.

  The carriage 2 is slidably fitted to the shaft 4 and is connected to a part of the belt 7a of the drive mechanism 7 as will be described later, and is arranged to be movable along the shaft 4 in the main scanning direction. Yes. The carriage 2 is equipped with a photocoupler (not shown), and the photocoupler scans the encoder scale 8 having a predetermined resolution so that the position of the carriage 2 in the main scanning direction can be detected. It is configured. A space is provided inside the carriage 2, and the ink cartridge 3 is detachably disposed in this space.

  The ink cartridge 3 has an ink tank (not shown) that stores ink therein. A recording head 3 a having a plurality of nozzles for discharging the ink stored in the ink tank is provided on the lower surface of the ink cartridge 3. In the present embodiment, the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the carriage 2, in which, for example, four colors such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are sealed. That is, the ink jet printer 1 is configured to be able to form a color image on the recording paper P. The configuration of the ink cartridge 3 mounted on the carriage 2 is not limited to this. For example, the black ink and the color ink are separately sealed, or the color ink is separately sealed for each color. It may be. In addition, the ink jet printer 1 is mounted with only the ink cartridge 3 in which the black ink is sealed in the carriage 2 and may form, for example, a gray scale image.

  The recording paper transport mechanism 6 includes, for example, a pick roller for feeding the recording paper P from the paper feed tray 11 to the inside of the housing 10, and a plurality of recording paper P for transporting the recording paper P in the sub scanning direction inside the housing 10. And the pick roller, a motor for driving the roller, and the like.

  The drive mechanism 7 includes, for example, an annular belt 7a disposed along the main scanning direction in the casing 10 of the inkjet printer 1, and a DC motor 7b for rotating the belt 7a. It is. A part of the belt 7 a is connected to the rear of the carriage 2. The drive mechanism 7 rotates the belt 7a by the DC motor 7b to apply a driving force to the carriage 2 to reciprocate in the main scanning direction. The drive mechanism 7 is not limited to this configuration.

  The control circuit 9 is controlled by software such as a device driver that operates on an external personal computer, for example. The control circuit 9 forms an image on the recording paper P by controlling the recording paper transport mechanism 6, the drive mechanism 7, the recording head 3a, and the like based on data and commands transmitted from the personal computer. Has a print function. In addition to this function, the control circuit 9 has a function of decompressing JPEG-compressed image data transmitted from, for example, a digital camera to form an image on the recording paper P. May be. The control circuit 9 may be configured to operate a predetermined function in response to an operation button or the like provided on the housing 10 being operated by a user or the like.

  2A and 2B show the extrusion pad 5. An arrow A shown in the figure indicates the main scanning direction. In this embodiment, the extrusion pad 5 has, for example, a trapezoidal shape in which a cross section perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction is parallel to both sides, and an upper surface is inclined upward toward the center in the main scanning direction. . As shown in the figure, the extrusion pad 5 is provided with a groove (fitting portion) 5a on the inclined upper surface along the main scanning direction, and at the lower part, the protruding pad 5 protrudes in the main scanning direction. A mating protrusion 5b is formed. Further, for example, a guide protrusion 5c is formed on one of the side surfaces of the extrusion pad 5 in the sub-scanning direction. In this embodiment, the groove part 5a has a substantially inverted Ω-shaped cross section, and the groove width dimension on the upper surface side of the extrusion pad 5 is formed to be narrower than the width dimension of the bottom surface of the groove part 5a. The engagement protrusion 5b is formed of, for example, resin or the like, and has a protrusion at the front end as shown in the figure. As will be described later, when the carriage 2 and the extrusion pad 5 are adjacent to each other, It is formed in a shape that engages with the lower surface of the carriage 2. The engagement between the carriage 2 and the engagement protrusion 5b is configured to be released when the force in the direction in which the carriage 2 and the pushing pad 5 are separated from each other exceeds a predetermined magnitude. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the extrusion pad 5 is disposed closer to the side surface of the housing 10 on the home position side than the carriage 2. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, a guide plate 21 in which a long hole 21 a is formed so that the main scanning direction is the longitudinal direction is disposed in the housing 10 substantially perpendicularly to the sub-scanning direction. The extrusion pad 5 is arranged so as to be movable in the main scanning direction by being arranged in a state in which the guide protrusion 5c is slidably inserted into the elongated hole 21a. The push pad 5 is not limited to the one that is arranged so as to be movable in the main scanning direction by the guide protrusion 5c and the guide plate 21 as described above.

  FIG. 3 shows the cover 20. The arrows A and B in the figure indicate the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the opening 10 a of the housing 10 is provided so that the size of the opening toward the upper surface is larger than the size of the opening toward the side surface. The cover 20 is configured so that the size of the portion covering the upper surface side of the opening 10a is larger than the size of the portion covering the side surface so as to cover the opening 10a. The cover 20 is pivotally supported on the casing 10 by a pivotal support portion 20a at the bent portion, and covers the upper surface and side surfaces in the vicinity of the home position of the casing 10 as shown in FIG. The inside of 10 is opened and closed to the outside. A fitting projection 20b is formed at the lower end of the portion covering the side surface of the cover 20. The fitting protrusion 20b is provided so as to protrude downward on the inner side of the housing 10, and as shown in the figure, the width of the tip portion at the lower end is larger than the width of the intermediate portion. It is said that. The fitting protrusion 20b is shaped to fit into the groove portion 5a having a substantially inverted Ω-shaped cross section of the extrusion pad 5, and when the cover 20 is in a closed state covering the opening 10a as shown in FIG. The groove 5 a of the extrusion pad 5 is configured to be fitted to the side surface side of the housing 10.

  Next, a printing operation when the inkjet printer 1 forms an image on the recording paper P will be described. When the printing operation starts, the recording paper P loaded in the paper feed tray 11 is fed into the housing 10 by the recording paper transport mechanism 6 and transported in the sub-scanning direction. Along with this, the carriage 2 driven by the drive mechanism 7 reciprocates in the main scanning direction and ejects ink from the recording head 3a to apply it onto the recording paper P. An image is formed on the recording paper P by repeating the application of ink in the main scanning direction while conveying the recording paper P in the sub-scanning direction. When an image is formed on the recording paper P, the recording paper P is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 12 by the recording paper transport mechanism 6, and the printing operation is completed.

  The carriage 2 is configured to perform the above-described printing operation with the home position as a reference position in the main scanning direction. The carriage 2 is used before and after the printing operation is performed and when the power of the inkjet printer 1 is turned off. Control is performed so that 2 moves to the home position. In this embodiment, when the carriage 2 moves from the approximate center in the main scanning direction toward the home position, the surface of the recording head 3a is cleaned by moving while contacting the wiper 2b. When the carriage 2 reaches the home position, the cap 2a provided below moves upward as the carriage 2 moves, so that the recording head 3a is covered with the cap 2a, and the recording head 3a is protected. This prevents ink adhering to the recording head 3a from being dried and causing nozzle clogging, or dust or the like from adhering to the recording head 3a to hinder subsequent printing operations. Further, when the carriage 2 is positioned at the home position with the recording head 3a protected by the cap 2a, the cap 2a moves downward when the carriage 2 is moved toward the center of the main operation direction. Thus, the recording head 3a is exposed.

  Here, when the ink stored in the ink tank of the ink cartridge 3 is exhausted by repeating the printing operation and the replacement time of the ink cartridge 3 comes, the cover 20 is rotated to be in the open state, and the carriage 2 is moved from the opening 10a to the outside. As a result, the ink cartridge 3 is replaced. Hereinafter, the replacement operation of the ink cartridge 3 will be described.

  4 and 5 (a) and 5 (b) show the operation when the ink cartridge 3 of the inkjet printer 1 is replaced. An arrow A in FIGS. 4 and 5A indicates the main scanning direction of the inkjet printer 1. As shown in FIG. 5A, when the ink cartridge 3 is exchanged, the position of the carriage 2 is the home position. At this time, the engagement protrusion 5 b of the extrusion pad 5 is engaged with the lower surface of the carriage 2. When the printing operation is started with the engagement protrusion 5b engaged with the carriage 2 in this way, the carriage 2 is driven by the drive mechanism 7 to move in the main scanning direction. Here, the extrusion pad 5 is configured not to move in the main scanning direction because the fitting protrusion 20b is fitted in the groove 5a when the cover 20 is in the closed state. Therefore, when a driving force is applied to the carriage 2 in this way, the engagement protrusion 5b is bent and deformed, for example, whereby the engagement between the engagement protrusion 5b and the carriage 2 is released, and only the carriage 2 is subjected to main scanning. The print operation is performed as described above.

  In order to replace the ink cartridge 3, as shown by the black arrow in FIG. 4, when the part that covers the upper surface of the cover 20 is rotated so as to move upward, the part that covers the side surface of the cover 20 It is displaced so as to enter toward the inside of 10. At this time, the fitting protrusion 20b of the cover 20 is displaced so as to draw an arc in the main operation direction toward the inside of the housing 10 around the shaft support portion 20a. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (b), the extrusion pad 5 is pushed by the fitting protrusion 20b while the bottom surface of the groove 5a slides on the fitting protrusion 20b, and FIG. 5 (b). Moves in the direction indicated by the arrow toward the approximate center of the main operation direction. The carriage 2 moves toward the center in the main operation direction by moving the push pad 5 in this way. At this time, the protection of the recording head 3a by the cap 2a is released as described above. When the cover 20 is rotated and opened, and the carriage 2 moves in the main operation direction, the ink cartridge 3 mounted on the carriage 2 can be replaced through the opening 10a as shown in FIG. Become.

  After the cover 20 is opened and the ink cartridge 3 is replaced as described above, when the cover 20 is rotated in the direction from the open state to the closed state, the tip of the fitting protrusion 20b is moved accordingly. Then, it slides toward the side surface of the housing 10 in the main scanning direction while being fitted in the groove 5a. At this time, the push pad 5 is moved toward the side surface of the housing 10 in the main operation direction by sliding the tip of the fitting protrusion 20b in contact with the upper surface 5d of the groove 5a. At this time, since the engaging protrusion 5 b and the carriage 2 are engaged, the push pad 5 is moved while pulling the carriage 2. When the cover 20 is closed, the carriage 2 returns to the home position together with the extrusion pad 5, and the recording head 3a is protected by the cap 2a again as described above.

  As described above, in this embodiment, by opening the cover 20, the carriage 2 moves toward the center in the main scanning direction, and the ink cartridge 3 can be replaced through the opening 10 a of the housing 10. Then, by closing the cover 20, the carriage 2 is returned to the home position. Accordingly, even when the carriage 2 is not moved by the drive mechanism 7 using a sensor or the like that detects the open / close state of the cover 20, the carriage 2 is moved from the home position when the ink cartridge 3 is replaced, and dust or the like adheres to the cap 2a. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost of the inkjet printer 1.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the structure of the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible suitably in the range which does not change the meaning of invention. For example, the shape of the upper surface of the extrusion pad 5, the shape of the groove (fitting portion) 5a, the position and shape of the engagement protrusion 5b, the shape of the engagement protrusion 20b, and the like are limited to those described above. It is not a thing. That is, the fitting protrusion 20b of the cover 20 is fitted to the fitting portion provided on the extrusion pad 5, and the extrusion pad 5 moves in the main scanning direction in accordance with the opening / closing operation of the cover 20, whereby the carriage 2 may be configured to be movable in the main scanning direction together with the extrusion pad 5.

  Furthermore, the extrusion pad 5 is not limited to the one provided separately from the carriage 2, and may be provided integrally with the carriage 2 closer to the side surface of the housing 10 on the home position side than the carriage 2. Further, it may be kept engaged with the carriage 2 during the printing operation. At this time, when the carriage 2 is located at the home position, the groove portion 5a of the extrusion pad 5 and the fitting protrusion 20b are not fitted. When the cover 20 is rotated so as to be in the open state from this state, the fitting protrusion 20b displaced to the inside of the housing 10 is fitted to the groove portion 5a of the pushing pad 5 so that the pushing pad 5 and the carriage 2 are moved. It is configured to be movable toward the center in the main scanning direction.

1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a perspective view which shows the extrusion pad of the printer. (B) is a perspective view which shows the same extrusion pad from a different viewpoint from (a). The perspective view which shows the cover of the printer. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an operation when opening the cover of the printer. (A) is a perspective view showing a part of the printer when the cover is in a closed state, (b) is a perspective view showing the operation of the printer when the cover is opened.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 2 Carriage 2a Cap 2b Wiper 3 Ink cartridge 3a Recording head 5 Extrusion pad 5a Groove (fitting part)
5b Engagement projection 6 Paper transport mechanism 7 Drive mechanism 10 Housing 10a Opening 20 Cover 20b Engagement projection A Main scanning direction B Sub-scanning direction P Recording paper

Claims (2)

An ink cartridge having an ink tank for storing ink and a recording head for discharging the ink stored in the ink tank to form an image on recording paper;
A carriage that is arranged inside the housing and in which the ink cartridge is removably mounted;
A recording paper transport mechanism for transporting the recording paper in the sub-scanning direction;
A drive mechanism for reciprocating the carriage in the main scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction;
A cover that is attached to an opening provided in the housing, and that opens and closes the inside of the housing to the outside;
A cap provided at a home position, which is a reference position in the main scanning direction of the carriage, set near one end of the housing in the main scanning direction, and for protecting the recording head;
A wiper provided near the home position and cleaning the recording head by sliding contact with the recording head of the ink cartridge;
When an image forming operation is not performed, the carriage is positioned at the home position with the recording head of the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage protected by the cap, and the cover is opened. Thus, an ink jet printer in which an ink cartridge mounted on the carriage can be exchanged through the opening,
The cover has a substantially L-shaped cross section in the main scanning direction, and is pivotally supported by the casing at the bent portion so as to cover the upper surface and side surfaces of the casing in the vicinity of the home position. It has a fitting protrusion formed so that the width of the tip portion is larger than the width of the intermediate portion so as to protrude downward from the vicinity of the lower end of the portion covering the side surface to the inside of the housing,
The housing further includes a push pad provided in the main scanning direction so as to be movable closer to the side of the housing on the home position side than the carriage,
The push pad has a shape in which the upper surface of the push pad is inclined upward toward the center of the casing in the main scanning direction, and the front end of the fitting protrusion can be slidably fitted in the main scanning direction on the upper surface. A groove portion having such a shape is formed, and further includes an extrusion pad in which an engaging portion engageable with the lower surface of the carriage is formed at the lower portion,
When an image forming operation is not performed, when the cover is opened, the fitting protrusion engages with the groove of the push pad and slides in the main scanning direction. By moving toward the central portion in the direction, the protection of the recording head by the cap is released, and the carriage moves toward the central portion in the main scanning direction, and the opening of the housing that is opened The ink cartridge mounted on the carriage can be exchanged through, and as the cover is rotated in the direction from the open state to the closed state, the leading end portion of the fitting protrusion remains fitted in the groove portion. By sliding in the scanning direction, the push pad is moved toward the side surface of the housing while pulling the carriage with the engaging portion engaged with the carriage, and the cover is When a state, ink jet printer wherein the carriage returns to the home position, the recording head is characterized in that in a state of being protected by the cap. An ink cartridge having an ink tank for storing ink and a recording head for discharging the ink stored in the ink tank to form an image on recording paper;
A carriage that is arranged inside the housing and in which the ink cartridge is removably mounted;
A recording paper transport mechanism for transporting the recording paper in the sub-scanning direction;
A drive mechanism for reciprocating the carriage in the main scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction;
A cover that is attached to an opening provided in the housing, and that opens and closes the inside of the housing to the outside;
A cap provided at a home position, which is a position reference in the main scanning direction of the carriage, set near one end of the housing in the main scanning direction, and for protecting the recording head;
A wiper provided near the home position and cleaning the recording head by sliding contact with the recording head of the ink cartridge;
When an image forming operation is not performed, the carriage is positioned at the home position with the recording head of the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage protected by the cap, and the cover is opened. Thus, an ink jet printer in which an ink cartridge mounted on the carriage can be exchanged through the opening,
The cover has a substantially L-shaped cross section in the main scanning direction, and is pivotally supported by the casing at the bent portion so as to cover the upper surface and side surfaces of the casing in the vicinity of the home position. The part covering the side surface has a fitting protrusion formed so as to protrude inside the housing,
The fitting protrusion is provided inside the casing, closer to the side of the casing on the home position side than the carriage, integrally with the carriage, or separately from the carriage and movable in the main scanning direction. And further comprising an extrusion pad having a fitting portion to be fitted with,
An ink jet printer characterized in that when the image forming operation is not performed, the push pad and the carriage can both move in the main scanning direction by opening and closing the cover.

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